Outbreaks of hantavirus and Ebola prompt U.S. quarantine and travel measures

The U.S. government ordered quarantines and is monitoring potential exposures after a hantavirus outbreak on the MV Hondius cruise ship. Three of 11 infected passengers died. The ship left Argentina on April 1 with nearly 150 people aboard, and the first cases were reported to the World Health Organization on May 2.

The same virus strain, Andes virus, can spread between people. Federal agencies said they are providing rapid testing and coordinating an interagency response.

Ebola outbreak in Africa An Ebola outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo strain has reached more than 1,000 suspected cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. No cases have been confirmed in the U.S. Seven Americans, including one doctor, were evacuated to Germany.

The State Department and CDC stated they are deploying resources through country offices in both nations. The World Health Organization Director General noted concern over the scale and speed of spread.

Federal staffing changes and agency responses The Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention underwent layoffs as part of reductions led by the Department of Government Efficiency. The CDC currently lacks a director, the FDA lacks a director, and there is no surgeon general.

HHS spokesperson Emily Hilliard said claims that the cuts have imperiled the response are completely inaccurate. Satish Pillai, leading the CDC Ebola response, said on May 19 that federal partners are working around the clock. The International Rescue Committee reported that March 2025 funding cuts reduced disease surveillance in the Ebola outbreak area.

Heather Reoch Kerr, the committee's country director in Congo, said years of underinvestment and recent cuts left facilities without adequate protective equipment or surveillance capacity.